Tomato Coconut Curry Chickpea Stew

When it comes to comfort food, this Curry Chickpea Stew is high on the list, the curry warms you from the inside out. Plus it's easy to make, full of pantry ingredients, and makes a flavor packed vegetarian meal everyone will enjoy.

I will pretty much eat anything that involves curry and coconut so when I saw this recipe on A Saucy Kitchen, I couldn't wait to try it. The flavors remind me of an Indian Tikka Masala with tomatoes, curry powder, and coconut milk but in a hearty stew version with chickpeas, spinach, and cauliflower. Not only is it delicious on its own, but it's also great over rice, quinoa, or couscous. Bonus, it freezes great for leftovers.

As we continue to cook from our pantries more, this is one of those recipes that should be high on the list. Not only does it rely mainly on canned ingredients like chickpeas, coconut milk, and crushed tomatoes - it also is extremely versatile and you can substitute in the vegetables you have on hand, try it with different beans, and experiment with adding proteins like chicken or shrimp. In fact, this week when I made up a big batch, I ate mine meatless but add a big pile of shredded chicken for the rest of the family. 

How to serve Cury Chickpea Stew?

This stew can be eaten on its own but you can also get creative and serve it in different ways. This is great for leftovers as well to create a few different meals from one dish.

• Serve this chickpea stew with a grain like rice, quinoa, farro, or couscous.
• For a lighter option, serve this over a bed of cauliflower rice or spaghetti squash.
• Consider serving this with some toasted Naan bread on the side to soak up all the delicious sauce.
• Use leftover tomato curry chickpea stew to make an Indian spin on shakshuka. 
• Add cooked chicken or shrimp with the dish.

Recipe Tips, Pantry Swaps, and Ideas

• This recipe works with any type of potatoes and it is delicious with sweet potatoes since they add a nice layer of sweetness to balance the spice. You could also use butternut squash. 
• Use any greens you like in this stew. Try kale, chard, or collard greens. Frozen spinach will also work. If you don't have any traditional greens, cabbage would also work.
• Experiment with using different vegetables. Consider trying to with sliced cabbage, zucchini, summer squash, carrots, celery, or anything you have on hand.
• If you don't have curry powder at home, you could make this with a homemade curry powder. There is a recipe included below.
• Any type of canned tomatoes can be used for this dish, it will just change the texture a bit. Diced tomatoes will give you a chunkier soup with pieces of tomatoes versus the crushed tomatoes, which are smoother. You can also quickly blend and diced or whole tomatoes. 

How to make curry powder at home?

There are lots of different ways to make curry powder but the recipe below really captures the warming spices traditional in Indian cooking. With that said, curry powder does take a lot of spices so many people opt to buy a prepared version.

• 2 tbsp ground cumin
• 2 tbsp ground coriander
• 1.5 tbsp ground turmeric
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp dry mustard
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (adjust to taste for mild or spicy)

Can I use Thai curry paste?

This recipe will work with red or green Thai curry paste but it will completely change the flavor. Thai curry tends to be much spicier than Indian curry and doesn't have the same warming spices like cinnamon and cardamom. 

How to freeze Chickpea Curry Stew?

Start by letting the stew cool completely. Then it can be frozen in a large batch or in individual servings. I am obsessed with these souper cubes for freezing individual portions of soups and stews.

Looking for more chickpea recipes?

• Slow Cooker Sweet and Soup Chickpeas
• Chickpea Feta Burgers
• Slow Cooker Curry Chickpeas and Vegetables
• Roasted Cauliflower and Chickpeas